Chaos strikes SCG as turnstiles ‘froze up and completely broke' minutes before Sydney-Carlton clash
Half an hour before the traditional Marn Grook match in Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round was due to begin, a malfunction in the system caused entry points at every gate in the stadium to freeze up.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Chaos as thousands of footy fans locked outside the SCG.
It made for some largely empty stands right up to and beyond the first bounce, as thousands of fans missed the start of the game.
'The SCG feels like it's only about half full right now, and that's because everyone that's here actually can't get in,' 7NEWS Melbourne's Xander McGuire said.
'From about 7.10pm tonight onwards, the turnstiles outside the ground actually froze up and completely broke.
'So, for about 20 minutes there, people that were trying to scan their tickets couldn't get in.
'I've spoke to security, they think that the lines got to about 200 metres long at every single gate outside.
'So, they've reverted back to the old days; they're doing manual ticket checks now.
'I was just outside and people are literally streaming in and security are only looking at the tickets with a passing glance, hoping that the tickets are completely legitimate.
'In the last probably five minutes or so, we've seen the crowd really thicken out. We'll see that over the first 10 minutes (of the game).
'But an incredible situation unfolding here at the SCG.'
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Hawthorn has copped a crushing blow with star midfielder Will Day ruled out for the rest of the season with a recurrence of his worrying foot issues. But a closer look at his struggles during Friday night's 14-point loss to Adelaide surely raises some question marks over why he played out the match. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. The 24-year-old Day, who missed six games in 2024 with a foot issue, was forced out of another 16 matches this season following surgery on a navicular bone after the round three clash with GWS. He had only returned against the Blues in round 20 but picked up yet another foot injury against the Crows, with the club confirming he has another 'bone stress injury' in his foot. 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There were various reports that Day had been stomped on during the game. Day was also the subject of some fierce speculation over a possible flaunting of the rules deep in the fourth quarter when play was stopped and he was taken from the ground with apparent cramp. But the fact Day was playing with a broken bone in his foot must paint that speculation in a different light. The youngster was seen struggling to shake off a leg problem at various times during the game, particularly in the final term. He also started the second half on the bench and was shown getting treatment midway through the fourth term. And yet he continued coming back onto the ground. Yes it was a close game and the Hawks are in a finals battle, but surely his long-term future is of paramount importance and any hint of a foot problem should have set off alarm bells. 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Almost ended his career. Hawks have to take an extremely conservative approach with such an important player.' One X user replied to Lerner: 'Foot injury management will be professional in the AFL one day.' Another fan wrote: 'According to the morons commentating on the game it was only a cramp.' Kane Cornes slammed Day's 'cramping' situation on on Saturday morning. 'What are we doing stopping the game for cramp?' he said. 'Football is about the hardest, toughest football team wins and we are giving a team an advantage because one of their players is under prepared and can't get through.' X user Michael Emmerson noted that, tweeting: 'Kane Cornes, love your work, but will you be apologising along with the Seven commentary team regarding Day's cramp when actually it was a serious injury?'
